Master your money. Get organized. Take back your time.
Note: This post contains affiliate links. Read my policy here.
Not too long ago, popular financial site Student Loan Hero interviewed me and 7 other personal finance bloggers. And they wanted me to share with their readers one of my all-time favorite money books. [Read more…]
You’ve seen those exotic creatures on TV – the extreme couponers.
Their basements or dining rooms look like fully-stocked convenience stores. And everything they have they’ve gotten for next to nothing or even for free. It sounds incredible. But when you hear their stories, you learn that some extreme couponers often spend more time couponing per week than most people spend working at a full-time job.
What if it were possible to land amazing deals without devoting endless hours every week to the pursuit of saving money? What if you could tap into the strategies of experienced extreme couponers while dialing the effort required way, way down?
Here are five powerful secrets of diehard couponers that you can easily tweak and implement in your everyday life: [Read more…]
Last week, we took a look at Parkinson’s Law, which states that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” So it makes perfect sense that last week’s post was all about time-saving techniques and maximizing your productivity.
But have you thought about how Parkinson’s Law applies to your money?
Maybe we could rewrite it like this: “Your lifestyle expenses increase so as to use up the income available.”
I’m talking here about the dreaded “lifestyle creep!” Here’s what I mean:
Let’s say you get a bump in your income. Maybe you get a juicy raise, land a sweet bonus, or start a profitable side business.
Then you upgrade your lifestyle! You spring for a nice vacation, move to a pricier home, start buying fancier clothes, or begin eating out more.
At the end of the day, that extra income has been completely consumed by the new expenses you’ve created for yourself. Your lifestyle expenses have increased and used up all of the available income you have.
So how can your understanding of this twist on Parkinson’s Law make you a money-saving whiz? [Read more…]
Where is my money going?!
Have you ever asked yourself this question? Maybe it’s when you reach into your wallet and find nothing but fuzz. Maybe it’s when you get a shocker of a credit card statement.
Maybe it’s during tax time when you’re entering your income numbers . . . and you know that most of that money is definitely not sitting in your savings account.
But it’s less appealing than volunteering for a root canal.
If you find the idea of making a budget detestable, it’s probably because . . . [Read more…]
What is financial planning?
Simply put, financial planning is the process of creating and following a conscious strategy for your money.
Financial planning means making sure you have the resources to meet your needs while pursuing your goals. You align your money decisions with your customized financial blueprint to make those goals a reality.
If that approach to money sounds incredible but you don’t know where to get started, you’re in the right place. Transform yourself into a pro by working through these four key steps. [Read more…]
Note: This post contains affiliate links. Read my policy here.
You’ve got the vacation bug!
You’re ready. To ride the waves, relax in the mountains, or take in the culture of a new city.
But eating out on vacation is a major expense. If you’re used to planning your meals and sticking to a food budget at home, heading out to restaurants three times a day is bound to give you palpitations!
Think that you need a big budget for your family’s vacation meals? Think again!
Food-related costs are one of the easiest to minimize when it comes to travel. Even better, there are some painless ways to do it without feeling as though you’re pinching pennies!
[Read more…]
It’s the new year! You’re stoked to get it started by making and forging ahead on this year’s financial resolutions.
Then you get hit with the mother of all December credit card bills.
Your holiday spending has caught up with you.
Mesmerized by the twinkle of Christmas lights and humming along to the peppy tunes piped over department store speakers, you liberally swiped your plastic. You splurged on shiny gifts for family, friends, pets, service providers, coworkers, acquaintances, and maybe even yourself.
Now Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, and the whole gang are sending you post-holiday greetings in the form of hefty credit card bills.
Don’t give up on your financial resolutions right out of the gate. What you need are some quick tips to regain control of your finances and get back on track toward making this year your best money year yet.
If your holiday spending bill wound up being overwhelming, it’s too late to change the past. But you can make the best of the situation with three simple steps:
[Read more…]
If you’re just tuning in, click here to read Part 1 of this series.
Does your budget have only a few items on it? Maybe housing, clothes, and food?
If your life is more complicated than a hermit’s, your budget needs to reflect that. You’ve got a kid in college, a gym membership, a family vacation, a newspaper subscription, vet bills — the list goes on and on.
Don’t gloss over the hidden and forgotten expenses in your life when you make your budget, or your budget’s simplicity will be your downfall. [Read more…]
Are you hiding from your budget?
You’ve gone to the trouble of creating a financial plan for you or your family, but you’ve thrown it out in exasperation. It just doesn’t work! Why even bother?
Your budget may have failed you for one of these (fixable!) reasons: [Read more…]
Note: This post contains affiliate links. Read my policy here.
Just as there can be easily-forgotten activities that suck up our time, there are some expenses that are frequently overlooked but can really add up. Sometimes we neglect them because they’re infrequent and sometimes because they’re small costs that we pay mindlessly over and over.
Have you remembered to include these 21 expense items in your budget? [Read more…]